Bullard’s Dylan Malone celebrates against Carthage in a Class 4A Region III quarterfinal Game 2 May 18 at Bullard. (Michel Alfaro/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

From Staff Reports

Bullard senior outfielder Dylan Malone was named to the third team with the release of the Blue Bell/Texas Sports Writers Association Class 4A All-State Baseball Team.

Malone hit .389 with 50 hits, 47 runs, eight doubles, seven triples, 15 stolen bases, 44 RBIs and 17 walks for the 32-9-1 Panthers, who reached the regional semifinals. He also had a 1.000 fielding percentage.

Spring Hill junior pitcher Landon Bartell made the first team and junior pitcher Cayden Rhodes made the second team. Carthage junior designated hitter Sam Watson was a third-team selection.

Bartell went 12-2 with a 0.55 ERA, one save, 66 strikeouts, 21 walks and two no-hitters in 89 innings for Spring Hill, which went 30-11-1 and made it to the state tournament. Rhodes went 12-3 with a 0.99 ERA, 80 strikeouts, 30 walks and two no-hitters in 91.2 innings. Watson hit .408 with 15 RBIs, 25 runs and 10 stolen bases.

Honorable mention selections were Bullard senior pitcher David Wilson, Canton junior pitcher and outfielder Nathan Parker, Carthage senior pitcher Dillon Davenport, Spring Hill senior catcher Josiah Mackey, Kilgore sophomore first baseman Colt Bullard, Canton junior second baseman Reed Vannorsdel, Bullard senior shortstop Chase Randall, Spring Hill junior third baseman Trent Thompson, Kilgore senior third baseman Tate Truman, Bullard senior outfielder Ben Coke, Spring Hill sophomore outfielder Travis Allen, Carthage junior outfielder Cale Preston and Van junior outfielder Landon Smith.

Texarkana Liberty-Eylau’s WT Jones was the Class 4A Player of the Year.

Jones was 10-2 pitching with a 1.51 earned run average in 60 innings with 47 strikeouts. The senior, who also played shortstop, batted .396 with 41 runs batted and 26 runs batted in to lead the 33-9-1 Leopards to their second state title. The other came in 2006.

Liberty-Eylau head coach Zach Fowler, who was a player on the 2006 team and was the winning pitcher in the Class 3A championship game in 2006, was named the Class 4A Coach of the Year.